VIDEO: UAE astronaut Neyadi unveils space mission plan with launch date set for Feb.26

Syed Shayaan Bakht, Staff Reporter

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has confirmed the launch date for the first long-term mission of Arab astronauts.

The date has been set for Feb.26 at 11:07am UAE time.

There will be 3 launch opportunities to successfully dock with the International Space Station.

Salem Humaid Al Marri, Director General of MBRSC, discussed the preparations for the Crew-6 mission and the experiments set to be conducted by astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi during the Crew-6 mission press conference.

Astronaut Sultan, Mission Specialist, Primary Crew, Crew-6 explained the key characteristics of the official mission patch.

He spoke about the importance of working as a team aboard the International Space Station.

Sultan said, “We all complement each other even when we do emergency tasks. Working aboard the ISS is a group activity aimed at achieving a common goal.”

He said, “During the mission, we will conduct medical experiments, and experiments in the fields of material science and bioscience.”

Once, aboard the station, Sultan will become a flight engineer for Expedition 69.

The mission, dubbed Crew-6 will include a series of experiments and research, as well as important scientific findings about outer space. During the mission, Sultan will conduct numerous in-depth and advanced scientific experiments as part of the UAE Astronaut Programme, which will train and prepare a team of Emirati astronauts before sending them into space to carry out various scientific missions.

According to SpaceX, its sixth mission will carry two Nasa astronauts, Stephen Bowen, the mission commander, and pilot Woody Hoburg, as well as two mission specialists, Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi and Russian astronaut Andrey Vidyaev.